Finding Shadow
by Ammo-the-hedgehog
Summary: Adventure/Romance. ShadAmy. Shadow gets adopted by Eggman and Amy has to find him after she is adopted by Rouge. The actual story is better than this crappy summary, since if I say much more I will ruin it all. T for safety. Could change in the future.
1. I'm Adopted?

Woo! New ShadAmy story! Okay, so as you know, I do **NOT** own any of the characters in this work of fiction unless that is stated **HERE** so if there are any of my own characters in chapters to come, I will write that here. Well, I hope you readers enjoy _Finding Shadow_ as much as I'm sure I'm going to enjoy writing it!

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><p>-(Amy's P.O.V)<p>

It was a dark, starless night when it happened. No one had expected it. No one had prepared for it. No one knew what to do when it happened.

We had all been huddled together – Shadow, a few other kids and I – when we heard the door to the orphanage we lived in burst open and slam against the wall. Everyone jumped, even Shadow, but he remained calm and soothed us all. That was his job, after all, since he was a little too old to have hopes of being adopted at age 16, so he was like the support for the other children who had been left parent less after the war. "I'm here to adopt." Those words would normally work us up into a elated frenzy, rushing around to make ourselves look like the perfect child in hopes of a new life. Not tonight though. We were as still as the dead, hardly daring to even breath.

"Everything's going to be okay." Shadow's strong, assertive voice called. _Oh how wrong he was._ "Amy," I felt his red eyes on the back of my head, so turned to face him.  
>"Yes?"<p>

"Don't do anything stupid." I could tell that Shadow was genuine in what he said, despite the joking tone he used, so I nodded in response, not wanting to let him down. I've already done that too often as it is.

You see, when people came to adopt back when Shadow was thirteen, he had a chance. He was strong, so could be used as a labourer, and caring, so would be the perfect big brother, but I always managed to mess his interviews up. I had been eleven at the time, and the concept of being adopted, or him being adopting, was surprisingly unappealing. To me, everything was perfect as it was. After all, how could it not be when you had people all around you who knew your pain, not just tried to imagine it? It was only after Shadow hit fifteen when I realized how badly he wanted to be gone, but thanks to my stupidity and selfishness, he would never get that.

All eyes snapped to the door of the bedroom as the door slammed against the wall. He was here. The man who wanted to adopt one of us was here. From where I was (between Shadow and my good friend Cream) I could see that he had dark glasses, a bald head and a ginger moustache. Not exactly an... _attractive_ man, to say the least.

I continued to watch as he strode down the aisle that separated the two rows of beds and scanned ever inch of each of us. I could feel his eyes taking in every detail as he passed me, obviously as unsatisfied with me as the rest. It seemed that not even Shadow was receiving a second glance from this violent man. "Do none of you possess a back bone?" He boomed incredulously as he reached the end of the aisle. I flinched.

"One of us does..." I mumbled, just a little too loud for it to go unheard.  
>"What was that?" He inquired, staring in my direction. I knew he was certain of where it had came from, so I readied myself to repeat.<br>"I said," Shadow. What was he doing? He hadn't said a word, so why was he taking the blame? "That one of us has a back bone." His ruby eyes were staring right back into the dark glasses of the bald man. Even I could feel the hatred Shadow had for this man whom he didn't even know.  
>"Is that so?" He questioned, intrigue lacing his words. "And who, might that one person be?" I could still salvage this situation, if only I could say-<br>"I do." Shadow again took the words from my mouth. He was going to get himself adopted by this monster at this rate! I looked to the man just in time to see the most twisted, wicked grin I had, and will probably ever see, blossom across his features.  
>"I'll be taking this one, then."<p>

I could actually feel my world tear in two as he said those words. I felt like whimpering 'no' like the pathetic fourteen year old I was. I felt like telling him it wasn't Shadow – it was me. I felt like say that I had a back bone as well, just so he would try to adopt me as well. Just so that Shadow and I would not be separated – but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, my throat held onto my words with a vice like grip, telling me that I would not tell that man who had _really _said those words.

I felt my gut knot itself tightly as I looked to the ebony and crimson hedgehog I had come to call my friend. I tried to show my shock and guilt through my eyes alone, but I couldn't.

I failed Shadow the Hedgehog. I failed him. And the worst part is, I will never see him again to right the wrong that I caused that day. Never.

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><p>Please R&amp;R! All suggestions are welcome! (Criticism is good too. I love constructive critizism, I just don't get enough. D:)<p> 


	2. Twist of Fate

2 chapters in 2 days! Don't expect this for much longer. Homework to do. :( Urgh, I'd much rather write this. :( Anyway, enjoy!

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><p>-(Amy)<p>

For two years after he was adopted I thought about Shadow every day. Where he was. What he was doing. How he was doing. These were the most recurring of my questions, but the one that scared me most? Was he even alive. The scariest thing in the world is definitely not knowing.

As soon as Shadow was no longer there, I saw no reason to attempt getting adopted. Previously, I had wanted to be adopted to convince them to take Shadow too. So that he could be happy. With me. But now that he wasn't there... it was pointless. "Amy!"  
>"What?" My attitude had also deteriorated in the time he had been gone.<p>

"You have a visitor."  
>"I don't want to be adopted!" I whipped around to face the blue Echidna – who was also the owner of the orphanage – and shoot her a menacing glare. My eyes flickered to the female next to her, a white bat, and glared at her for a second before returning my gaze the the wall I had previously been facing.<p>

I heard high heels on the wooden floor. They were approaching me. "So you don't want to be adopted? Why is that Hun?" She leaned towards me, one eyebrow arched. I looked across at her, green eyes staring at blue.

"I don't deserve it. I let a friend get adopted by a horrible... horrible person. I deserve to suffer alone." The most painful thing about telling this stranger that was that it was all true.

"Hum... so, do you want to find this friend?"

"Duh."

"Then I'll help you. Let me adopt you, then I'll help." I almost fell off the other side of my bed in shock.

"Why would _you _want to adopt _me_?"

"I want a kid, but don't want to commit, get fat, or deal with soiled pants. You in?" This bat... she talks sense, in a strange way. I felt no need to further exhaust my vocal chords, so simply nodded. A few hours later, and I had a mother. Even though she was only a few years older than me, which is just a little weird.

She quite literally dragged me out of the orphanage and straight into the pub that was not too far down the road. I was completely clueless as to why, until she sat me down at one of the tables and explained her plan. She wants to hire a mercenary of some kind to help track him down, since they are trained in this sort of situation, except they normally find someone that someone wants dead. Oh well. We'll just have to be sure to tell him **not **to kill him once found. She also said that we should go with him, just in case I spot him on the way which could save us a lot of time, not to mention money, as mercenaries really aren't all that cheap.

I couldn't believe it, but I was actually beginning to _smile _while Rouge, my new mother, explained all of this to me. The thought of seeing Shadow again had always been an appealing one since the day he was adopted, but I never even dreamed that I would _actually _see him again.

My excitement taken into account, you can only imagine how happy I was when a mercenary walked into the pub. I mean, what are the chances? He walked in, black cloak and all, and went and stood by the bar. Rouge saw me staring, mouth ajar, and asked what was the matter. In my feeble, my-brain-just-melted state, all I could do was point dumbly. "Oh..." She shot me a smirk, looking back to where he was stood with the same self-satisfaction on her face. "I'll be one minute."

I watched as she got up from her seat elegantly, drawing the attention of every male in the building. All except the mercenary, which was slightly odd, but failed to throw her from her seductive walk in those stupidly high heels. Okay, I'm a girl, and I'm not homo or anything, but I will admit that she has some skill there. She continued with her tactics, I'm guessing in an attempt to lower the price, by draping herself on the bar in a way that suggested that she could only see the mercenary.

"So..." That one word sent every man silent. "Are you a mercenary, or do you just like to dress like one?" The question was so nonchalant, you wouldn't have thought she was talking to the 'odd jobs' man of the military world. Seriously, this guy looked like he could snap Shadow like a twig.

"I wish I just liked to dress like one..." He muttered, just loud enough for me to hear in the complete silence.

"In that case, I have a job for you."  
>"And what might that be?" His voice seems... strangely familiar, but from where, I don't know.<p>

"It's a bit of a... _search and rescue,_ but we aren't quite sure if there will be an rescuing necessary."  
>"Give me the details and I'll give you my services. For a fee, of course." The last sentence seemed like a purposeful after thought, as if he wanted to make sure she knew he was most certainly <em>not <em>about to give her a discount. So much for men thinking with the contents of their trousers...

"Come with me then."

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><p>Any thoughts as to who the mercenary is? If so, tell me. I want to know if my story is predictable. ;) Anyway, R&amp;R! :) Thanks for reading!<p> 


	3. False Alarm

Sooo chapter 3 here. Yay. :)

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><p>-(Amy)<p>

Rouge led the cloaked man towards the table I was sitting at. I actually _felt_ the colour drain from my face. What if this mercenary found Shadow, but then killed him? I know it's far fetched, but it could happen! Maybe...

Regardless, he sat himself down, opposite me and next to Rouge, then they began discussing prices. "Sounds like a straightforward enough job. Can you tell me what you know about this person?" Rouge looked at him, shaking her head and then pointed to me, saying,  
>"She's the one to ask about that. She knew him." So he turned his head towards me - I imagine to indicate that he was looking at me, seeing as his eyes were not visible – staring at me expectantly. So, I spilled the beans.<br>"His name is Shadow, he's a hedgehog, he should be about eighteen years old. He has black fur, six quills, and a red streak down each. He also has red eyes..." I won't tell you what else I said, because some of it was embarrassing and I waffled about nothing in particular several times. That was the only point in the last two years that I had thought 'Thank god Shadow isn't here.'

"Well, you know a considerable amount about this... _Shadow_ boy, so I should be able to find him. I will, of course, need at least one of you to accompany me to make sure that the person that I find is, in fact, Shadow. Will that be okay with you, ladies?" Rouge and I exchanged a glance. This was not the practice that we had heard of for a mercenary, but who were we to question him?

"Of course." Rouge replied, still looking ever so slightly confused. "We will both accompany you, if that is alright."

And that is how we ended up on the road with a mercenary. I really need to re-evaluate what are good and bad decisions... Not that how mattered after a week or so.

We were a week from the town in which my little orphanage was located, when the first alarm was raised on the 'Shadow hunt'. I swear, he looked just like him from behind, but when we approached him and he turned around... he couldn't have looked _less_ like Shadow. For starters, this hedgehog had brown eyes. Not red. _Brown. _Even the mercenary could tell that this was _not_ Shadow, and he didn't even know him.

I was seriously beginning to think that we would never find Shadow, even though it was only the first week. I had... well, I had given up if I'm honest. Pathetic, I know, but I had. The fact that we had found someone similar in such a short amount of time was good, very good, but the fact that it wasn't him... it hurt a little. It hurt that we had found someone so similar, yet so different.

That night, when had checked into an inn, the mercenary came to see me. We had separate room, of course, but he decided to visit me in mine. "How are you?" He asked as I let him in. I was in a long, light pink night gown, and had just been getting ready for bed at the time.  
>"I'm okay, I suppose. Just a little disappointed." I sighed and dropped back onto the single bed in my room, looking longingly at nothing in particular. He must have picked up on the fact that I was lying through my teeth, since he tentatively sat next to me.<br>"Y'know... it might be that we only just missed him, or maybe we've seen him, but you just didn't... recognise him. He could have changed a lot since you saw him last."

"He could have," I admitted looking at him with disappointment obvious on my face, "but I highly doubt it. He knows how guilty I felt... that I would find him, even if it killed me. So I refuse to admit that he has changed." Utter determination replaced my disappointment at that point. I was not going to give up. Not now, not ever.

He stayed with me for a good ten minutes, reassuring me that he would find Shadow, and quickly too. That seemed to boost my belief in the situation, for some reason, as I knew that the mercenary was a lot like Shadow himself. Calm, cool and calculating on the outside, but a giant softy on the inside.

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><p>R&amp;R please!<p> 


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